


This Bath is Probably Symbolic, But Also I'm Filthy.

by RhiaDalish



Series: Fenris & Liri: Cat-sitting Adventures [4]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age II
Genre: DA2, Dragon Age 2 - Freeform, Fluff, Kitten, Kitten-Sitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 21:59:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4803758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhiaDalish/pseuds/RhiaDalish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris tries his best to bath a very dirty kitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Bath is Probably Symbolic, But Also I'm Filthy.

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure to read the first parts!

 

Fenris whipped his head around to quadruple check that the kitten was securely in the basket. The basket was large, mostly clean, and had a sparse lid that he could secure over the top. Hopefully  she wasn’t  small enough to fit through the gaps. She mewed unhappily, her dirty little face poking through the weave. He felt a small pang of guilt for confining her, but it was for the best.  Especially after her last escape adventure.

"Stop complaining. You brought this upon yourself," he grumbled. She mewed unhappily and he poked a finger through to rub her dusty head.

The  pot  of water he was heating over the fireplace was near boiling, perfect for making comfortable bath water.  He had cleaned out the tub he had once used for bathing, having to scrub through a stubborn layer of dust and rodent waste until it was passably clean. Upstairs, Fenris  had  had  some luck and found a few lopsided, unspoiled shirts that Merrill had sewn  as gifts for everyone last winter.  He could have sworn that he chucked them out, but Merrill must have placed them back in his room at some time. He'd have to speak with her about boundaries... again.

Steam curled up around his arms as he poured thehot water into the tub. The warmth felt incredible on his skin, as if he had not felt the sensation for a lifetime. He added a bucket of cool water from the well, hoping thetub  wouldn't leak too badly. By luck or happenstance, the tub held and the water temperature was perfect. 

"Alright, cat, time for your bath," Fenris got down on his knees and slowly unlatched the lid as the kitten squeezed its little head through the opening. The moment his slender hand wrapped around her filthy little body, her loud purr commenced. 

He hobbled over, still on his  sore  knees.  Holding the purring ball of dust over the large tub suddenly seemed unsafe. As if he were going to bathe her in the middle of the lake.  What if she  wriggled from his grasp? What if held her in too deep?  What if she  drowned? He couldn't risk it.

 Fenris hummed in annoyance. He twisted back and forth, searching for a solution and coming up blank. The kitten began to squirm, mewing  more and purring less. Finally he placed her back in the basket, much to her displeasure. He had to have something in this damned mansion that was shallow enough for him to bathe a small kitten.

He pulled back the curtains in the room, letting the last remaining light inside.  Nearly everything in the area was broken or cracked. Why was everything useless? Everything. Nothing he possessed had any purpose. Rubbish. Why had he lived so long in a palace of rubbish?  A strange wave of shame spread over him at that moment. Why the hell had Hawke and the others even bothered with him in this place? What must they think of him? All this time he had been wallowing in misery and loneliness when Hawke, Merrill, Varric, even Anders had been climbing over these piles of filth just to talk to him. To bring him a book or a hot meal. Just for him.

His thoughts broke at the sound of a distressed mew. The kitten had squeezed her head through a gap in the basket and seemed to be stuck. Fenris couldn't help but smile at the sad little face pleading to him. It reminded him of a part in the book he had been secretly reading in which Liri, the heroine, tried to escape a dungeon prison and only succeeded in getting herself stuck between the bars. Grant ed the kitten wasn't stuck because of an ample bosom  and probably wasn't going to use the blood of the guards to grease herself up and escape, but it was an amusing comparison .

It struck him at that moment that he still had not given the kitten a name. The name did suit her: getting into trouble, brave, and talkative. But, if he gave her the name, Hawke would know he read the book. The smug smile that would take over her face … 

"Meeeeeew!," She was getting impatient as her would-be savior stood there contemplating. 

"All right, Liri, I'll save you this time," Fenris flipped up the lid of the basket and gently freed her little head. She purred gratefully and clawed her way up to his shoulder again. Her tiny needle claws stung his skin, especially his lyrium markings, but she was safe where she rested. 

Thankfully, he spied a mostly in-tact shallow basin perfect for Liri's bath. Making sure she was balanced, Fenris dipped the basin in the tub . He stirred the water with his hand, making sure it still at a good temperature and wouldn't be too hot for her .  Fenris's brows knitted as the water turned sooty. Were his hands really that  filthy? He pulled his hand out of the basin and blinked at the different between his partially washed hand and the other i n the light the from the uncovered window. How was he supposed to clean anything if him touching it would only make it dirtier?

Resigned to the inevitable, Fenris apologized to Liri and placed her back in the basket. He stripped off his filthy tunic. It was stiff with wine and sweat and the smell, once it passed over his head, made his eyes water. How in Thedas was Hawke able to talk  --  let alone breath around him when he smelled like wine-basted death? The water in the shallow basin was replaced and using one of the lopsided shirts, he began to scrub himself clean. There was no soap to be had, but he made due. Yet another thing he needed to find at the market.

He scrubbed until his skin was raw and his hair was dripping gray  water. Finally, Fenris deemed himself clean enough to bath the kitten. Liri had fallen asleep in the basket, but was happy to be held again when he woke her. She was not, however, happy about being dipped in water that had cooled off significantly. Angry, red scratched marked the elf's arms by the time he had removed the dust and cobwebs from the tiny ball of claws. 

****

Both clothed or swaddled in clean, misshapen shirts, Fenris and  Liri  lounged  outside near the well, watching the orange and pink clouds through the buildings  of Kirkwall. The looming bronze statues of broken slaves covering their faces shone like beacons. A memory flashed before his eyes of Tevinter and the similar statuary that adorned Danarius's estate . He shuddered and felt a craving for wine.

Liri snorted. She was snoozing and  snoring quite loudly for such a tiny thing. His dark thoughts cleared away.  It was occurring to him how much had changed just today. All because of this little creature he was charged with. Hawke had to have known. Had to.

"I suppose," Fenris said, rubbing a finger on the kitten's head causing her to purr louder, "I did need some company."

His stomach grumbled loudly. Food had been forgotten about, again. Now it was getting to the point where he needed to eat something or his body was going to start working against him. He frowned. Fenris knew for a fact that there wasn't anything left in the mansion. Nothing besides the disgusting fish.

"I think we can make it in time, don't you?" Liri mewed in response and clawed her way onto his shoulder. Her fur was still wet,  her brilliant orange, black, and white patches glinting in the sun. Back in the mansion, Fenris dug out one of his many hidden coin pouches. Taking the last of the clean shirts, he tied a sort of sling across his chest and wrapped Liri up inside. She squirmed and protested a little at first, but once she realized she could he held and warm constantly, she was content.

"Let's hope the Hightown Market is still open, Liri." 


End file.
